J Korean Soc Radiol.  2010 Oct;63(4):319-321.

Isolated Multiple Fragmented Cricoid Fracture Associated with External Blunt Neck Trauma: A Case Report

• Lee BH
• Hwang YJ
• Kim YH
• Seo JW
• Cho HJ
• Kim YS

Abstract

Blunt laryngeal trauma is a relatively uncommon but possibly life-threatening injury. An isolated cricoid fracture associated with blunt trauma is rare. We report a case of an isolated multiple fragmented cricoid cartilage fracture that developed in a 20-year-old man after a blunt neck trauma that occurred during a baseball game and was diagnosed by 64-slice multidetector computed tomography (MDCT).

MeSH Terms

Baseball
Cricoid Cartilage
Fractures, Cartilage
Humans
Larynx
Multidetector Computed Tomography
Neck
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Young Adult

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 A 20-year-old man with blunt neck trauma. A. Lateral radiograph of the neck obtained at admission shows neck subcutaneous emphysema and retropharyngeal air bubbles, suggesting air leak from the laryngeal structure. No evidence of fracture or dislocation of the cervical spine is seen. B. Axial CT reveals fractures of the bilateral anterior arch and posterior wall of the cricoid cartilage. There is paratracheal and retropharyngeal air with subglottic mucosal swelling. Mucosal penetration is suggested. The white arrows indicate three fracture lines of the cricoid cartilage. C. Axial CT shows normal configuration without evidence of fracture of thyroid cartilage. D. Follow up CT 13 days after neck exploration demonstrates that the subglottic edema and paratracheal and retropharyngeal air had improved.D. Follow up CT 13 days after neck exploration demonstrates that the subglottic edema and paratracheal and retropharyngeal air had improved.

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